You can’t always judge a song by its title. Those looking for some kind of connection to real-life events or people based on the Paul McCartney and Wings title “Mrs. Vandebilt” are probably off-base. In fact, it’s possible the song’s author even intended that result.
In any case, “Mrs. Vandebilt” turns out to be one of the livelier tracks on Wings’ standout 1973 album Band on the Run. And that’s the case even if there isn’t a direct connection to one of the most famous, wealthiest families in American history.
Maladies and Misspellings
The circumstances surrounding the making of Band on the Run, the third album by Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles outfit Wings, were not the type you would expect to produce a masterpiece, which is how the album is generally regarded these days. It was a Murphy’s Law scenario, as everything that could have gone wrong pretty much did.
First, two members of Wings split not long before the band was set to record the album, leaving Paul McCartney, wife Linda, and Denny Laine as the only three members of the band. McCartney had decided on using EMI’s studios in Lagos, Nigeria, but he endured a robbery while there which cost him some critical in-progress tapes of the album’s songs. Power issues made the studio a bit of a wild card as well.
Perhaps because they were able to draw focus on the matter at hand amidst all these distractions, the trio emerged with a sparkling set of recordings. “Mrs. Vandebilt” is one of the few tracks where someone else other than the core trio contributed, as Howie Casey plays a nifty little sax part.
As for the title, McCartney admitted he was aware the Vanderbilt family was rich, but he didn’t really know too much about them. The song title is spelled differently than the surname of the family that capitalized on the Industrial Revolution to become a dynasty of sorts. Perhaps it was a bit of misdirection by Paul, or perhaps he just liked the way the name fit the meter of the song. In any case, the song’s theme of perseverance over hardship is one that certainly hit home for the band around that time.
Exploring the Lyrics of “Mrs. Vandebilt”
Even though Paul McCartney likely wasn’t directly alluding to the biography of anybody in the famously rich Vanderbilt family, his lyrics for “Mrs. Vandebilt” do make brief reference to monetary issues. But the overall vibe for the song is one where the narrator tries to take everything in stride, shrugging off any problems that come his way.
The lyrics open with a reference to an old radio show that McCartney knew as a kid, one which mentioned how jungle natives find reasons to smile despite their poverty. McCartney then adds his two cents: You don’t even know the time / But you don’t mind. That sets up the theme of not sweating the small stuff, and even the big stuff is to be taken with a grain of salt.
When your bus has left the stop / You better stop your hurrying, McCartney sings, exemplifying a minor nuisance that shouldn’t ruin your day. After all, What’s the use of worrying? It won’t change anything. The song continues in that vein when it gets to financial matters: When your pile is on the wane / Don’t complain of robbery.
At one point in the song, McCartney asks, What’s the use of anything? It seems to be an admission that there’s a bit of randomness to life, and beating yourself up about it won’t help. When others, including Mrs. Vandebilt and Mrs. Washington (another pretty notable American name), pester the narrator about their problems, he isn’t having any of it: I’ve done plenty of time on my own.
“Mrs. Vandebilt” captures Wings at their energetic best, driven as they were by the force of Paul McCartney’s will. It’s as if the band was following the advice put forth in this song, as they put their heads down and got the job done even when everything was breaking bad around them.
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